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Scared to go down the stairs Hi YTers Hadn't posted in a while but wanted to pop in to ask a question. I have a townhome with hardwood steps that lead to the outside doors. A few weeks ago I Emma took a tumble down the stairs and she's now scared to go down them. As such she's having potty accidents. I've tried picking her up to go down, but she will let go of her bladder before I can even pick her up to go outside. I've tried treats and coaxing her down and she does do well with this but it's not consistent. She has no trouble with other steps in the home (which are carpeted) or even going up the wood steps, just going down them. Any thoughts on how I can help her because the potty accidents are no fun at all. |
I personally wouldn't push her to go down the stairs. Stairs and small dogs can be a huge problem. I would rather clean up pee than find my dog severely injured or dead at the bottom of the stairs. She's a smart girl who learned a lesson. I wish I had tips for you...perhaps in time you can get her on a schedule where you take her down to pee....OR don't let her go upstairs during the day? Hopefully others will have some suggestions. |
Have you thought about the carpet rectangles you can get to put on the stairs or other no slip stair things? Ollie fell down the stairs well just a few once and I now use a gate and won’t let them on the stairs. I’m guessing she is very scared of the steps now so doing the treats with the stairs constantly maybe what you have to do for awhile. |
I liked Ladyjane's ideas. Perhaps put a baby gate at the top and/or bottom. We redid our floors about 5 years ago including our steps. They were so slippery for the dogs (and humans), that I finally just had carpet put down. Solved the problem. |
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I agree. You can purchase stair treads, check with home centers, and such. |
Have you thought about potty pad training so steps are not involved? |
Thank you guys for the input. Great ideas. I'm going to look for those stair treads despite my hesitation on how that will damage the wood or look aesthetically. I'm not the biggest fan of potty pads. Only use them when there's severe weather. Prior to this, she pretty much had free roam but always stays underfoot. She goes up those steps just fine. We use the baby gate when we are downstairs together. I'll keep positive reinforcement until she feels comfortable again. |
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